8
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGILVEERING CHEMIS.TRY
72
market for the metal, the withdrawal of available supplies, and the future demand. Quicksilver is put t o many practical uses, such as gold-mining, b u t probably t h e most important is for percussion caps for igniting powder. The world’s production is increasing; the average for the last decade has been 3728 tons. The output during recent years [Engineering (London), 98 (1914), 5701 has been as follows, in tons: 1905 3336
1909 3233
1907 3307
1911 3419
1913 4171
The world’s supply is obtained from only six countries, the main source being Spain; the Almaden mines of that country produce nearly a third of t h e entire quantity. Recent outputs have been as follows, in tons:
........................ ............... ....................... ....................
Spain United S t a t e s . . Italy.. Austria..
1909 1000 71 7 700 609
191 1 1055 742 815 685
1913 1490
1701. 7 , NO. I
a t such pressures as t o prevent blowing out and t o ensure a highly deoxidizing flame. The spraying jet can be of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, air, steam, etc., and is fed at such a pressure as t o produce a sufficiently high velocity *for successful coating. The various pressures must be carefully kept constant by accurate gauges and reducing-valves. The feeding of the wire is accomplished by a small pneumatic motor, driven by the spraying medium either in series or parallel with the main jet. For small work, hand operation is sufficient, b u t probably, when large work is undertaken, i t will prove convenient t o have mechanical traverse and control. T h e surface t o be coated must be thoroughly clean and of a n open nature t o give a key for the deposit. Sand-blasting with sharp sand has been found best. Such surfaces as fabrics, C
6S8
888 855
Ten years ago the United States’ output of quicksilver was t h e largest in t h e world, exceeding 1000 toils for several successive years, but since then it has been declining; the main American supply is obtained in California, mostly from one mine. Great Britain’s trade in quicksilver is peculiar, in so far as none is produced in the country; it is purchased and distributed, and, in effect, controls the world’s markets in the metal. The following schedule shows the imports, exports, and British consumption, in flasks, during recent years: 1908 ................... 1909 ................... 1910. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 1.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1912 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1913 ...................
Imports
Exports
Consumption
43,605 43,163 44,595 46,547 47,262 45,348
22,348 22,051 24,748 31,438 32,240 26,815
21,257 21,112 19,847 15,109 15,022 18,533
T h e flasks contain 75 lbs. each. The consumption fluctuates within very wide limits, as shown by these figures. At the commencement of next year the effect of the war will be ascertainable o n both the supply and British consumption. I n Austria the quicksilver deposits occur in Idria, Western Carniola, and in Italy a t Monte Amiata, Tuscany. T h e Mexican and Russian outputs are very limited in scale; four years ago t h e Russian output was onLy 4 tons. The price of quicksilver has risen enormously since the war commenced; the Austrian supply, controlled by the Government, is definitely c u t off from the world’s markets, and the Italian supply is uncertain. The Spanish supply is controlled mainly in London, and very little may be available for export. American supplies can scarcely be obtainable for export t o Europe, as .its consumption appears t o have overtaken its production. In fact, England has been exporting quicksilver t o the United States in small quantities for some years-during 1913, 154,500 lbs., t o the value of
S E C T l O ~ L ‘ O ~ A W l N GOF THE SPRAYING MACHINE OR ‘PISWL :I
$74,800.
Quicksilver imported by England was worth $36.27 per flask last year compared with $41.86 during 1911. The war has had a marked effect on English quicksilver imports, as shown b y the following figures: ImDorts for: August.
.......{ k
September.
... (0&k lb
1912
k ‘01132J9 32,818 437
1913 67,196 896 61,851 824
1914 1792 24 18,240 243
METAL. SPRAYING An interesting device which is just emerging from the experimental stage, is one described in Engineering (London), 98 (1g14), 382, by R. K. Morcom, for covering objects with a metallic coat by spraying them with molten metal. The essential parts of the machine, or “pistol,” as it is called, are a combined melting and spraying jet and a feed mechanism. T h e metal rod or wire is fed t o the melting-flame formed by coal-gas, water-gas, acetylene, hydrogen, etc., burning in air or oxygen according t o the metal used. The gases are supplied
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION O F M E L T I N G 8 SPRAYING J E T S IN ACTION.
wood, unglazed earthenware, and asbestos require only freedom from grease. The process in detail is t h e following: The melting-jet is focused at A, Fig. 5 , on the tip of the wire. The spraying-jet, cold from expansion, strongly draws forward the products of combustion in the center of its cone, and by its draught drags off minute particles of metal, either in the plastic or molten state. The central cone, therefore, consists of metal particles, some cooled t o solidity, some molten, and some, perhaps, gaseous, surrounded by a protective reducing atmosphere. This cone is hurled forward with great velocity on to the object to be coated, B C, by the outer jet. There is a definite, most economical quantity of gas which should be used in the pistol, this quantity being about 1.5 cu. f t . of hydrogen per minute, and 0.5 cu. ft. of oxygen, or about 0.8 cu. ft. of coal-gas t o 0.65 cu. ft. of oxygen for the present standard designs. As at present constructed, the standard pistol uses for spray-
Jan., 1915
T H E J O C R N A L OF I N D V S T R I A I ; A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
ing about 0.55 to 0.6 cy. f t . of air per minute for every I lb. per sq. in. air pressure, so that with an air supply a t 80 lb. per sq. in., which is a very suitable figure for ordinary spraying, the air consumption will be from 4j to j o cu. f t . per minute. The mass of this will be from 830 t o 920 g. and the mass of metal sprayed by this air will be from about 8 g. in the case of iron to about 2 0 0 g. in the cast: of lead. The effectiveness of the cooling is shown by the fact that the hand can be held to receive a coating of metal without inconvenience.
‘
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMAN-AMERICAN TRADE IN CHEMICALS Of all the effects of the war, that on the trade of the various countries involved, as well as of neutral lands, is perhaps, a t present, the easiest to evaluate. A4nattempt to study German export trade as affected by the war is made by Prof. H. Grossmann in an article in Chem. Ztg., 38 (1914), 1169, in which the growth of chemical industries in Germany since the present tariff laws went into effect is studied, and their present situation is compared with that of similar industries of foreign hations. The part of the article of special interest to us is, of course, that dealing with the United States. The year 1913 probably marks a maximum in international trade, not only for Germany, but for the whole world. I n spite of the fears expressed by free traders a t the time of thc enactment of the German tariff of 1902, and in spite of the increase in foreign customs duties, the German export trade in chemicals has shown a remarkable growth, a fact proved not only by the export statistics and by increased earnings of exporters, but by the increase in yages and number of laborers employed. Germany is now in the fortunate position, according to 0. N. Witt [Chem. Ztg., 38 (1914), 1117, 11301, of having within her own borders enormous quantities of a large number of necessary natural products such as salt, potassium chloride, coal, potatoes, sugar-beets, etc. However, many other raw products must be bought in large amounts from foreign lands, i. e . , now, from neutral countries; among these products are many ores and metals, oil seed, fats and oils, saltpeter, iodine, boron compounds, camphor, rubber, tanning materials, animal and vegetable fibers, raw phosphates, calcium acetate; etc. The relative scarcity of some of these has led to a rise in price since the beginning of the war. The following table is given by Grossmann to show the origin and amounts of these substances in 1913: R A WPRODUCT METRICTONS CHIEF EXPORTIERS ORES: Iron pyrites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 0 2 7 , 0 0 0 Spain, Portugal, S o r w a y Chromium ores. . . . . . . . . . . . 232.000 France, Australia 47,800 British India, Australia Tungsten ores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bauxite.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 500 France Raw phosphates.. , . , . . , , , , . 926:OOO U. S. A,, Algeria, Tunis 774,000 Chile Saltpeter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FATSA N D OILS:
Oil f r u i t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , i47,OOO 579 700 Vegetable oils, e t c . . . . . . . . Oil c a k e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828: 000 Mineral oil, refined.. , . . , . , . 745,000 FIBERSTUFFS. Cotton, r a w . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478,000 Wool, r a w . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199,300 Flax.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71,200 Hemp... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,700 Jute.. .................... 162,100 Rubber.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,500 Camphor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,700 Calcium a c e t a t e . . . . . . . . . . . 20,900 Iodine.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258,000
Tropical countries Tropical countries Tropical countries U. S. 4 . . Austria-Hungary
~~
U. S. A,, E g y p t , British India
Austria, { Argentina, o u t h Africa
British
Russia, Austria-Hungary Russia, Italy British India Brazil, Africa, S. E. Asia Japan U. S. A Chile
The most important German exports in 1913 were: EXPORT METRICTONS CHIEF IMPORTERS Sugar, r a w . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527,000 England Sugar, crystal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390,000 England U. S. A , , England, China, Aniline and coal t a r d y e s . , , 6 4 *300 Austria-Hungary Potassium and “abrauni” salts, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 , 6 7 6 , 0 0 0 U. S. A , , Sweden, Holland Potassium chloride . . . . . . . . 393,000 Indigo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 , 3 0 0 China, U.S. A.
{
Although the chemical industries in the LTnited States have made great pronress in the last ten years, they are still dependent
73
on Germany for many products and the same situation exists in England. I t has been stated that, with the assurance of high prices and long continued protection, American industries would be able to meet demands in any line of manufacture, hut Grossmann points out the difficulty of meeting the first condition, and the fact that already the Amrrican duties are not low. Glass, leather and textile manufacturers are already considering whether in case of continued exclusion of German chemical products, it would not be cheaper to close their factories altogether. Although, naturally, there is much discussion in the American press of possibilities of becoming chemically independent of Germany, little has been done practically. Other industries that suffer in this country are agriculture and the electrolytic potash industry from lack of potassium salts, while Grossmann shows among the industries favored by the war is the calcium cyanamide industry. ~
~~
~~~
BENZOL A S A FUEL The increasing use of benzol as a fuel for motor cars abroad and its probable effect on the price of gasoline were mentioned in THISJOURNAL, 6 (1914), 259. Germany’s present complete isolation from an adequate petroleum supply makes the fuel question one of anxiety and vital importance to her. The Manchester Guardian (England) prints statistics showing the growth of benzol production in Germany and its availability a t present : “For further supplies of motor fuel, *Germany will turn to benzol. It is as good as petrol, and she makes it herself, both for various industrial purposes and for motor fuel. This has been a growing industry in Germany; an% she may surprise us by a further sudden expansion of it. Benzol is obtained as a by-product from coke-ovens. In England only about onethird of such ovens are really adapted for benzol recovery; in Germany every oven is. In 1907 she produced less than 2,000,000 gals. of benzol, and bought about I,~OO,OOO gals. from us. By 1911 her production had risen to over 6,000,000 gals., and she took only 140,000 gals. from us. Even if the 1911 figures had not been improved upon, Germany cannot starve for motor fuel while her coke-ovens are working. To keep them working, however, entails a supply of coal, and we do not know wha‘t her stocks or present output are. It needs 17 tons of coal to produce a gallon of benzol, or 8,000,000 tons a month to maintain the normal benzol supply (on the 1911 figures). I n 1912 the German Government ordered a plant capable of producing 6,000,000 gals. of benzol per annum, and three months ago they prohibited the export of benzol t o France. It is unlikely that Germany neglected to stock benzol (or the coal t o make it) as one of the sinews of war.” In England too,. on account of the high cost of gasoline, the use of benzol as a motor fuel has been increasing steadily, but some dissatisfaction has attended its use. Complaints are frequently, received from users that, after a moderate amount of benzol has been used, a sticky deposit is noticed in the crank case, valve-stems, etc., and this eventually interferes with the satisfactory lubrication of the engine [ J . Gas Lighting, 128 (1914), 1841. There is no doubt that benzol when properly made leaves no such deposit; but i t is only too true that much of the benzol put on the market as motor spirit -supposed to be washed and refined-is really unsuitable for the purpose, and its presence is only hindering the development of this outlet for the product. Until quite recently, very little of the benzol manufactured in England was refined in the plants where it was recovered. It was generally exported in bulk in the crude state. In Germany, however, a great deal of attention has for a long time been devoted to the preparation of purified products, and a high state of efficiency has been reached in the washing and refining processes: This latter fact is undoubtedly attributable to the enormous demand for rectified products consequent on the expansion of the synthetic or coal-tar
